Tire chain



Patented May 20, 1947 UNITED STATES PA-r ornce Joseph L. Weasel, Kansas 01mm. Application March 29, 1945. Serial No. mass 3 Claims. (01. its-21a) 1 This invention relates to automotive appliances in the nature of removable chains for wheels, and has for its primary aim to provide I a tire chain having as a part thereof, means for conveniently mounting the chain in place without employing a jack and without the usual inconvenience due to the utilization of flexible strips, which are customarily a part of chain assemblies as they are now marketed. One of the important objectsof this invention is to provide a tire chain assembly, capable of quick attachment to automobile wheels where the wall of the wheel is provided with slots through which a section of the assembly must be projected before the chain can be latched in the operative position.

A further aim ofth'e instant invention is the provision of a tire chain assembly for automobile wheels, which assembly includes a flexible section adapted to crossthe tread of the tire, and a stiff or rigid section, longitudinally arched for quick threading through conventional slots prior to securing the free ends of the chain assembly together.

'Other aims of the invention will become apparent during the course of, the following specification, referring to the accompanying drawing wherein: I

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an automobile tlre having a chain assembly thereon and made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged stretch-out edge elevational view of a tire chain assembly illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention and showing the same entirely removed from operative position.

Fig. 3 is an inside elevational view of the assembly; and

Fig. 4 is an inside elevational view of a tire chain assembly having a plurality of tread-engaging sections made in accordance with a modifled form of the invention.

The particular type of tire chains to which this invention relates, are those of the unitary character where a number or individual cross chains are mounted around the rim and tire of the wheel without the employment of interconnecting, annular chains or side cables. These individual chains are mounted by threading a portion thereof through slots I0, formed in the wall I2 of a. conventional wheel, which in the drawing has been generally designated by the numeral I4.

A tire I6 mounted on wheel I4 has a tread portion. disposed as is well understood, and across this tread portion and upwardly along walls adjacent thereto, the flexible section I0 of the chain assembly is stretched. To hold this flexible section I! in place, there is provided an interconnecting section 20 which must be threaded through the adjacent slot I0. Heretofore, this said section has been in the form of a flexible webbing, tape or strip without rigidity, and incapable of selfsupport sofar as forcing the same through slots I0 is concerned.

Section 20 in the chain assembly, constructed pursuant to this invention, comprises a longitudinally arch'ed rebent, attenuated member formed of wire or the like and pivotally secured to the terminal link 22 of flexible section I0. The

usual cross links comprise this section I8 and when section 20 is associated with one end of section I8, the inturned ends 24 of section 20 may be welded together or otherwise treated to insure against accidentaldisplacement.

The bight 28 of section 20 is normally engaged by the snap hook 20 that is mounted at thelopposite end of section I8 from that end to which section 20 is attached. Snap hook 283s brought into engagement with bight 26 when the chain is in the operative position, clearly illustrated in Fig. 1.

To insure that the chain assembly may be afflxed to tires of various sizes within a selected range, section 20 is provided with a number of transverse elements 30, spaced at intervals inwardly from bight 26. These arcuate members 30 will receive hook I! and operably hold flexible section I8 across the tread of tire I6.

when the tire ch'ain assembly is to be mounted, it is but necessary to grasp the end of section 20 which is attached to link 22, and reach behind tire IS a sufncient distance to project the free end of section 20 (being the bight 25 thereof), through the closest slot I0. No. folding, buckling or collapsing will occur, such as is the case when a flexible strip is used as the rim engaging part of the assemblies now available. As soon as the bight of section 20 is extended through slot I0, it is grasped and pulled to a point wherehook 20 may engage the same.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 4, flexible sections I0-0 are identical to section I8, as illustrated In Figs. 2 and 3. There are two of these flexible sections however, and they are joined by cross heads I02, one of which receives snap hook I04 while the other is coupled to rigid or stiff arcuate section I00.

Section I00 has the bight I00 as above described, and this chain with a plurality of cross the side.

3 4 sections I may be mounted as easily as the and at one end of the stifl arcuate section, said single chain with a unitary flexible section l8. stilt arcuate section comprising a substantially The longitudinally arched stifi sections 20 U-shaped body having the coupling elements at and I06 respectively, are substantially semi-cirthe bight thereof.

cular and overlie the rim of the wheel. The em- 6 2. A tire chain assembly of the character deployment of such sections eliminates the necesscribed comprising a flexible section including sity of having to lie on the ground for the prurat least one length of chain adapted to lie transpose of reaching close to slots ill for forcing a versely across the tread of the tire and inwardly flexible strip therethrough. Ease of attachment, against the side walls of said tire; a still. arcuate therefore, is the outstanding advantage and the 10 section adapted to interconnect the ends of the desirability of the chain structure illustrated and flexible section and embrace the rim of the tire described, is at Once obvious to those who have supporting wheel; and cooperating coupling eleexperienced difliculty in trying to thread frayed ments at one end of the flexible section and at webbing'through such slots as those indicated by one end of the stiff arcuate section, said stiff the numeral I0. arcuate section comprising a substantially U- Sections may be associated with the series shaped body having the coupling elements at the of cross links 01' flexible section l8 by the user bight thereof, said cooperating coupling eleafter purchasing the parts separately. For exments comprising a snap-hook on the flexible ample, cross links l8 may be bought on the open section and a series of hook-engaging elements market as replacements for the chains, and if 20 on the stiff arcuate section, said hook-engaging section 20 is made available as an article or elements compr n aplurality of arcuate c s manufacture, the automobile owner may asa s fixed to t e e s of a d D d b dysemble his complete chain. Inturned ends would AS a n w article of manufacture. a p of not be welded in such instances, but would be s h a a p a ty f chain lengths te held in place by the inherent resiliency of the connecting said crossheads; n attenuated. 1011- material from which the section is formed. gitudinally arched k att ed to One of said In the event sections 20 are separately sold, I crossheads, said link comprising a stiff, substanthe length of the same may be altered to meet tially D d body; and Cooperating plin the size requirements. Links 22 of ectio In elements on the other of said crossheads and would receive section 20 and book 29 respectively. 30 near the free end of said arched link, said c0-v and the easily applied anti-skid or mud chain p a n upl n ments mp s n a snapwould be produced by the customer of the store hook 011 t said other crosshead and a series handling the three component parts, i. e..the secf hook-engaging elements 011 t arched link, tion 20, section l8 and hook 28, said hook-engaging elements comprising a plu- Obviously, tir h n having physical char- 85 rality of arcuate cross bars fixed to the legs of acteristics different from those shown and set Said linkdown above, may be made without departing JOSEPH L. WENZEL. from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims, REFERENCES CITED Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by The following references are of record in the Letters Patent is:

file of this patent:

l. A tire chain assembly of the character de UNITED STATES PATENTS scribed comprising a pair of crossheads; a flex- Number Name Date ible section including a plurality of spaced apart 1,103,396 Coan July 14, 1914 chain lengths joined to said crossheads and 999,384 Martin Aug. 1, 1911 adapted to lie transversely across the tread of 1,427,003 Lucas Aug. 22, 1922 the tire and inwardly against the side walls of 2,198,883 Pattison Apr. 30, 1940 said tire; a stiff arcuate section mounted on one of the crossheads and adapted to embrace the FOREIGN PATENTS rim of the tire supporting wheel; and cooperat- Number Country Date ins, coupling elements on the other crosshead 791,063 France 1935 

